1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an educational or demonstration method and system whereby a pictorial representation of selected items or concepts in a presentation or a description may be generated using a user's indications. It is further preferably, but not restricted to, used collaboratively by making the presentation by multiple participants communicating with one another. The invention is suited especially, though not necessarily, for wireless communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Different people organize and record information in different ways. Usually, a person learns to adopt the organizational methodology by which he or she best learns, understands and remembers the content he or she is organizing. For example, some people organize and record information best by outlining the information in list form; others prefer to describe the same information that might be placed in an ordinary list using figures. This presentation by figures (i.e., pictorial representations) demonstrating the interrelationship of information, such as the interrelationship of various topics, concepts, or persons, has been termed by some as “mapping” of the information.
Various prior art software programs may be used to create a presentation by figures (“map” or “figure”) in lieu of a conventional outline. This map may show one or more nodes and branches emanating from the branches, each branch devoted to a group of related information, such as related concepts and sub-concepts. See, e.g., a picture in FIG. 7 which was created using the mapping program known as Mind Manager from MindJET, LLC of Sausalito, Calif. (Web site: www.mindmanager.com). The branches may then be further subdivided into sub-branches to illustrate more detailed topics or ideas within the related concept for the respective branch. Graphical tools, such as illustrations of various kinds and coding (e.g. similar colors to connect related concepts, and different colors for disparate concepts, etc.), can be incorporated into the map to help illustrate the information and to assist in creating a presentation that is more easily understood and remembered. Other graphical tools available in the software may also be used to enhance the appearance of the map according to a user's preferences.
These prior art programs may have limited versatility because textual entries on the map must be manually entered on a keyboard of a computer into the map and cannot be imported from an existing document. This can take time and attract user's attention away from, for example, studying. Moreover, persons using this software may work together on the preparation of the map over the Internet only from a fixed terminal, such as a personal computer connected to the Internet, but not from a wireless or mobile terminal, where the capabilities, such as the location of the terminal, are not so heavily restricted. Also, while making the map, users may only have a limited possibility of communicating when using prior art programs. The transmission path in a wireless environment has more restrictions, including limited transmission capabilities, and the currently high transmission costs. Therefore, there is a need for an easy and cheap method and system enabling wireless terminals to be utilized for this kind of invention.